Dahlia Canes, who lead the effort to overturned the ban, said they did better than expected. But others said the dogs were dangerous.

"I don't have anything against animals," said Oscar Gomez, a father of three who voted to keep the ban on pit bulls. "They're dangerous to be out there."

On the other side was Umireardo Rodriguez, who wants to allow the breed as pets again in Miami-Dade.

"When you pet it, or have a tame one in your house, they're just like any other animal," he said in Spanish.

While Canes played with her pit bulls outside her Hialeah home, she told NBC 6 South Florida her pet couldn't be sweeter.

"Just because a dog is born of a specific breed, does not make it inherently dangerous," Canes said. "Any dog can bite."

Canes loves pit bulls, but hates the bad reputation that comes with them. She said they are discriminated against. She's had two pit bulls for a couple years now – even though it's been illegal in Miami-Dade County since 1989.

"Yes, I am breaking the law by having two pit bulls in my house," Canes said.

"And you don't care?" a reporter asked her.

"They're my family," she answered. "I will defend them."

The ban became law because of Melissa Moreira. When she was seven years old, her neighbors' pit bull nearly killed her in an attack.

With her scars still visible, she told NBC 6 she does not want the ban repealed.

"My entire forehead was ripped off because of the way their jaw comes down, so that's why they're arguing discrimination, but that dog has that," Moreira said. "I'm not afraid of other dogs because if you see a poodle on the street, what damage is he going to be able to do to me versus having your face torn off by a pit bull?"

Miami-Dade commissioners had voted 3-1 to allow the 1989 ordinance to go before voters. Commissioner Barbara Jordan was the sole vote against putting the issue on the ballot.

If the repeal had been approved, the county would have joined the rest of Florida in prohibiting breed-specific laws.